Villagers who suffered a sleepless night because of last year's Oxford May Ball have failed to have this year's event cancelled.

Despite their protests, the go-ahead was given by South Oxfordshire District Council licensing committee for the all-night party.

It will be held at Rycote Lane Farm the venue for the past three years at Milton Common, near Thame. It will run for 12 hours from 6pm on April 30.

Many revellers go on to the May Morning celebrations on Magdalen Bridge in Oxford. At the licensing committee hearing, Mike Walker, of Great Milton Parish Council, who lives near the site, said there was too much noise last year.

He said: "I complained and the organisers did a good job of cutting the noise.

"But it appeared they turned the speakers away from Milton Common and places such as Tiddington bore the brunt of it." Parish council member William Tremayne, who also lives near the site, said last year's noise was horrendous. He said the parish council had received several complaints, virtually all about noisy music and constant traffic near homes.

This year the ball will cater for 15,000 people instead of 7,000 in previous years. The 50 ticket price of previous years has been cut by half.